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FAMILY: POACEAE
Avena sativa
I love porridge and i used to have it daily all year round for breakfast. I have been known to take it
on holiday with me and to have it for lunch if I missed out at breakfast time. I love the
flavour, texture, price and it only takes minutes to cook about the same time as two pieces
of vogel’s bread to toast. Now I fast and dont break my fast until noon.
OATS
The oats in grain are energizing while the straw is sedating.
Native to Northern Europe Oats has been cultivated since classical times as early as 2000 B.C. This ancient cereal grass was a staple food for northern Europeans and the Scots. It is also an important food for livestock. Oats are grown commercially, from seed, in cooler areas of Australia and New Zealand. They are high in fibre and protein including amino acids and low in calories and fat. Vitamins: A, C and B complex, including thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, B6, E and K. Minerals: Silicon, calcium, iron, potassium and phosphorus.
Oats are widely used in human foods, animal feeds and livestock forages around the
world. Tinctures and extracts of oat straw are readily available in Europe as a nervous
system restorative, to assist convalescence and to strengthen a weakened constitution.
Oat straw is also used in Europe to treat shingles, herpes zoster, herpes simplex and
neurasthenia.
Green oat grass (the grass before it matures into oat straw), like other grasses, is rich in
vitamins including A, B, C, E, K and pantothenic acid and minerals, including iron
(39mg/Kg dry weight), manganese (8.5mg) and zinc (19.2mg), silicon dioxide (2%),
calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. As such, green oat grass juice can be
used to treat debility.
Studies have been conducted on oat grass extract researchers discovered an influence of
the herb on reproductive hormones, including luteinizing hormone. Perhaps that explains
the old saying “to sew your wild oats” oat grass is also rich in protein, approximately
30%, and contains all the essential amino acids along with chlorophyll, flavonoids,
lecithin and enzymes. This abundance of nutrients has made oat grass a popular tonic for
treating debility and convalescence when taken as a juice. Oat grass is also extremely rich
in antioxidants, including polyphenols and one powerful antioxidant called tricin.
Current research on oats focuses on the compound, beta-glucan, that has been shown to
stimulate the immune system.To summarize, green oat grass is rich in protein, approximately 30%, and contains all the essential amino acids along with chlorophyll, flavonoids, lecithin and enzymes.
Oat-straw is a cardio-tonic for good heart function an anti-depressant that restores the
nervous system, cleansing and detoxifying useful for its anti-aging, antioxidant effects
and cellular regeneration.
Externally where there is dry skin, burns, itching, hives, eczema and wounds. High in
silica oats is an aid to skin, hair, connective tissue, muscle tone and function and local
tissue healing.
How to extract the silica from Oatstraw:
To make a decoction take one handful of oatstraw place in a pot with 1 litre of water and
bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes to obtain the silica content from
oatstraw it is necessary to do a decoction in this manner. For a good winter drink try
oatstraw decoction fresh ginger root, lemon juice and honey to taste.
Consider a combination of oats and oatstraw in your body creams a decoction blended in
with one or two drops of your favourite essential oil or other favourite herbs chamomile,
mint, pineapple sage, thyme, lavender and dried orange peel, lemon peel, cloves, star
anise and aqueous cream. Mix and match to make an aromatic bath bag and bathe in the
beneficial mix.
